Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Revelation 18:1
Jan 16th, 2017
Exploring RevelationArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Prophecy;Book Study

In Revelation 17, we have the harlot church; John calls her the great whore. She is also known as religious Babylon. The subject of the chapter is plainly given in verse one, “.....Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.”

In Revelation 18, we have the judgment of the beast, the political – economic kingdom of Antichrist. This is also known as economic – political Babylon. Notice the change of subject in verse 1; ....”After these things,” the topic of chapter 17 is the harlot church. Then the subject is changed to the beast in chapter 18. Notice the announcement of the subject of chapter 18 in verse 2, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.” We have the judgment of political – economic  Babylon in this chapter. This is the kingdom of Antichrist.

In these two chapters we have two Babylons. We have the religious Babylon and the political – economic Babylon. These two Babylons began simultaneously at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The goal of Nimrod in that day was two-fold, first to gather the people together under a central government. His second purpose was a one world religion. We see this in Genesis 11:4, “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

The religion is seen in the clause, “...and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.” The world government is seen in the clause, “...lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” The two Babylons were intertwined from the start and have continued to be closely related. We see this in Revelation 17:3, “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” This is the first half of the tribulation period, the Church and Antichrist come together in an unholy union to gain domination over the whole world.

The harlot church is destroyed by the beast at the mid-tribulation point. Revelation 17:16, "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” From that point the world-wide kingdom of Antichrist comes on to the scene. It now replaces the Revived Roman Empire which had been in a union with the harlot. The destruction of Antichrist’s kingdom is then recorded here in chapter 18. It is important to notice that religious Babylon is destroyed at the mid-tribulation point and that political – economic Babylon is destroyed at the end of the tribulation period.

Satan’s ambition has always been to rule over the world and to have the world worship him. Those purposes are intended to be fulfilled in the two Babylons.

The last half of the tribulation period is dominated by two things;

First; the world-wide worship of Antichrist. We see this in Revelation 13:15, “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

Second; the last half of the tribulation period is dominated by a world-wide political-economic system that is unprecedented. We see this in Revelation 13:16-17, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” We conclude that chapter 17 is the total destruction of apostate religion. We conclude also that chapter 18 moves forward to the last half of the tribulation and it describes the judgment and destruction of Antichrist’s materialistic kingdom.

We have the naming of the two Babylons in Revelation 17:5 we have the harlot named, “Mystery Babylon the Great.” In Revelation 18:2 we have the naming of the kingdom of Antichrist, “Babylon the great.”

The two great instruments of Satan to distract men and women from a true relationship with God have been; false religion and materialism. It is these two vehicles that Antichrist rides to power over the men and women of the world. At the close of the age both of these two factors will take on global proportions. They will come to full flower.

In Matthew 13:31-32 we see the latter day expansion of false religion. "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Birds in scripture represent evil. As we come to the end of the age we see counterfeit, apostate religion filling the whole earth. The present ecumenical movement is now about to unite the peoples of the world in a common religion that will unite the world for the first time ever. Even now the Pope is opening the doors of the Catholic Church to all.

In Daniel 4:20-21 we see the latter day expansion of a political economic empire. "The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:"